// May 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // WordPress Basics
There are multiple opinions on the best permalinks structure for your WordPress blog. Some argue that you should use a custom permalinks structure with only the post name while WordPress advises only using a permalinks structure that begins with a date or post ID number. Both methods seem to have certain advantages and disadvantages but which one wins the “best permalinks structure” debate?
What are Permalinks?
Permalinks are the permanent URLs to your blog posts. They are the titles used by readers to link to your blog’s content and also read by search engines. Setting your permalinks structure defines how your blog posts URL will look to both readers and search engines. The default setting in WordPress simply lists your posts by number – it looks something like this: http://example.com/?p=N – and is unattractive to readers and doesn’t provide search engines with any useful keywords.
Changing Your Permalinks Structure
Creating a custom permalinks structure is one of the first things you should do when you start your WordPress blog. Not only does it make your blog look more professional, it’s also a necessity if you want to grab any significant search engine traffic. You need to make sure you choose the best permalinks structure for your blog because it shouldn’t change once it has been set.
The Different Kinds of Permalinks Structures
Opinions vary on the best permalinks structure but ultimately it is up to you and what your blog requires. Many people argue that a custom structure is best, either consisting of only the post name (/%postname%/) or your post category followed by the postname (/%category%/%postname%). They suggest that this is the best permalinks structure for SEO as it loads your URL with search engine-friendly keywords.

Other bloggers and WordPress advise against this permalinks structure as it can cause your blog to load slower than normal. Without the identifying date or ID number before the post name, your blog may have to create more rules within its database to identify each post. They suggest using a structure that uses the date or post ID number (%post_id%) before the post name as this will help WordPress’ performance.
What’s the Best Permalinks Structure for Your Blog?
There seems to be no hard and fast rule as to which permalinks structure you should use for your WordPress blog. It all depends on the type of blog you want to have.
If you plan on running a blog loaded with posts, with a lot of similar titles, you should use a structure that prefaces the post name with a date or ID number to differentiate your content.
If you want to have a blog that is focused on specific keywords and topics, you should use a custom structure that only includes the post name or post name and category to attract attention from search engines.
What kind of permalinks structure do you find works best for your WordPress blog?